Purdue News

October 9, 2002 Purdue Teaching Academy honors 15 new members WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Ten Purdue University professors and five graduate assistants were inducted into the Purdue University Teaching Academy on Sept. 30. The Teaching Academy honors and supports excellence in teaching and works to strengthen teaching quality at all levels throughout the university. The academy, which was founded in 1997, now has a total of 143 members. "Being invited to join the academy is a major honor," said Phillip Wankat, co-chair of the Teaching Academy Executive Council. "Every fall no more than 16 fellows and associate fellows who have distinguished themselves as exceptional teachers are inducted." The 2002-03 fellows are: • Emily Allen, assistant professor of English. • Rosalee Clawson, assistant professor of political science. • Lucette Comer, associate professor of consumer sciences and retailing. • Christine Corum, associate professor of mechanical engineering technology. • Frank Dooley, associate professor of agricultural economics. • R. Neal Houze, professor of chemical engineering. • James Mohler, associate professor of computer graphics technology. • William Oakes, assistant professor of freshman engineering. • Elliott Slamovich, associate professor of materials engineering. • Susan Watts, associate professor of management. The 2002-03 associate fellows are: • Mark Browning, senior instructional coordinator for biological sciences. • Michael Meyer, graduate teaching assistant in entomology. • Srinivasaraghavan Sriram, graduate teaching assistant in management. • Juan Velasquez, graduate teaching assistant in freshman engineering. • Oliver Wendt, graduate teaching assistant in educational studies. Winners of the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, which is named in memory of Charles B. Murphy, are automatically invited to become members, Wankat said. Each dean of an academic unit can nominate one faculty member to be a fellow and one teaching assistant or teaching staff member to be an associate fellow. From these nominees, up to five new fellows and five new associate fellows are selected by the Teaching Academy Executive Council. Among this year's inductees, five Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award winners join those nominated by deans. "Members of the academy help conduct a number of programs on the West Lafayette campus," said Wankat, Clifton L. Lovell Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and head of the division of Interdisciplinary Engineering Studies. "The academy sponsors the Faculty Mentoring Network and Conversations About Teaching, and also works with the Committee for the Education of Teaching Assistants and Center for Instructional Excellence to improve teaching on campus." Academy members also have helped in the selection of Teaching for Tomorrow winners and will help with the selection of the next round of professors included in the Book of Great Teachers. Teaching for Tomorrow winners are funded through an endowment established by the Purdue Classes of 1944 and 1945 dedicated to faculty enrichment. The Book of Great Teachers honors outstanding teaching faculty and excellence in teaching over time. To be included, professors and former professors must have served on the Purdue faculty at least 15 years. The Book of Great Teachers is displayed in the west foyer of the Purdue Memorial Union. Writer: Amy Patterson-Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu Sources: Phillip Wankat, (765) 494-0814, wankat@ecn.purdue.edu S. Kathleen Salisbury, co-chair of the Teaching Academy Executive Council, (765) 494-1132, salisbus@purdue.edu Related Web site: Office of the Provost's Focus on Teaching Web page Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page